The other day while we were out and about in our yard, our neighbor wandered over from across the street. 

“Hey, can either of you tell me what this is? It was in my flower garden.” He held up his cell phone and as we expected, we saw a photo of a hummingbird moth, more formally known as a clearwing moth (one of the moths in the genus Hemaris).

We expected this for several reasons: First, we had just seen one at our butterfly bush; and second, they are most likely to be seen in gardens when bee balm, phlox and other colorful plants are in bloom.

When you see one, it’s exciting to imagine that you are seeing some rare little bird that somehow became lost, maybe even a bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), the world’s smallest bird at just 5 to 6 centimeters long and weighing less than an ounce. But the bee hummingbird is only known to live in Cuba. Also, when you think about it, a moth that looks and acts so much like a hummingbird is pretty amazing, too. 

Like hummingbirds, hummingbird moths have long, unfurling tongues perfect for sipping nectar from flowers. They can dart about and hover while they indulge, like hummingbirds. And, unlike most moths, they are active during daylight hours. Darn cool, we’d say.

In Maine, we have three species of hummingbird moth (hummingbird clearwing, snowberry clearwing and slender clearwing).

However, we have just one species of hummingbird that breeds here, the ruby-throated hummingbird. These emerald green flying gems arrive in spring, after spending the winter in Central America. Many bird enthusiasts tell stories about how, if they haven’t put out the hummingbird feeders yet, their hummingbirds hover and chatter in front of the kitchen window, like the birds are scolding them!

The species is named for the adult male’s ruby-red throat, a feature females and immature birds lack. But all are amazing fliers. They can beat their wings more than 50 times per second, and can go from a lightning-fast straight line to a complete stop, or zip up, down, backwards or hover in mid-air. 

Males have an amazing display in which they swing back and forth like a pendulum while making a distinctive buzzing sound. Good thing they fly so well, because their short feet make them unable to walk or hop. 

Females construct tiny thimble-sized nests into which they lay two eggs, which are about the size of a pea. The female also incubates the eggs and raises the young while the male goes in search of another female to try to impress with his fancy display. Don’t be too hard on him; polygamy is quite common in birds!

In addition to enjoying nectar from plants (and bird feeders), hummingbirds eat insects and will even snatch bugs from spider webs. When raising her young, the female will regurgitate the insects she has swallowed to feed to the nestlings.

Once on a rainy day we came upon a hummingbird on a branch about five feet off the ground with its eyes closed. It never moved even when we were only inches away. When there is an extended cool period, hummingbirds can go into a slowed-down metabolic state called torpor in which the heartbeat and breathing slow down to a crawl to save energy. 

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species that breeds in the entire eastern U.S. They have the largest breeding range of any hummingbird in North America. 

Enjoy your hummingbirds while you can. Starting in late August, they’ll be heading south for the winter – with many Mainers close behind.

Jeff and Allison Wells are native Mainers whose families have been here for hundreds of years. Allison Wells is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine; Jeff Wells is senior scientist for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign. They are the authors of “Maine’s Favorite Birds.”